Review: Soundcore Life Q35 Headphones

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A few weeks ago Soundcore had a contest on their community website and the winners received their new Soundcore Life Q35 headphones to test, review and share there thoughts on them. I was one of those winners! After writing up my review I realized it was way too long and decided to break it up into two parts. Part one is the unboxing review with photos and part two is features and the review. Below is my real life usage review of the new headphones. Make sure to join the community (community referral link) to get your chance to win free Soundcore products and get notices on discounts on their products.

Soundcore Life Q35 Headphones Features

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The Soundcore Life Q35 Headphones are the latest wireless over-the-ears headphone creation from Soundcore by Anker. Soundcore created the new headphones with sound quality in mind. Soundcore considers the headphones to be the Gold Standard Sound because they use the latest sound technology to create high quality sound that holds its own the premium well-known brands.  Features copied directly from the Amazon Sales Page

• Gold Standard of Sound: Custom silk-diaphragm drivers accurately reproduce music across a wider frequency range and cut out distortion to deliver sound that’s both Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified.
• LDAC Technology: 3 times more data is transmitted to Life Q35 active noise cancelling headphones than via standard Bluetooth codecs. This lossless transfer ensures you hear every tiny detail in the music.
• Multi-Mode Noise Cancelling: 2 microphones on each earcup detect and filter out distracting noises in your vicinity. Switch between Transport, Outdoor, and Indoor modes for a tailored noise cancelling experience.
• Comfortable and Convenient: Life Q35 active noise cancelling headphones can be worn all day thanks to their lightweight build and memory foam padded earcups and headband. A built-in sensor detects when they’re removed from your ears and instantly pauses the audio.
• AI-Enhanced Calls: The beamforming microphones on Life Q35 active noise cancelling headphones pick up your voice with incredible accuracy by using an AI algorithm that’s been tested thousands of times. Calls sound crisp, clear, and free of unwanted noise.

The Soundcore Life Q35 Headphones Review

Over the years I’ve had many pairs of over-the-ear headphones some good, some bad and I have to say the all new Soundcore Life Q35 Headphones are my Favorites. As to Soundcore products, I own the Soundcore Space NC and the Soundcore Life 2. Both have been good products but they are showing their age and my Space NC is starting to wear out because I use them so much.

Appearance

To see the complete appearance review and unboxing pictures, check it out here. Currently I’m not doing unboxing videos (someday, maybe get my wife be the model, she looks better than me in front of a camera) but I do unboxing pictures. That article goes through the accessories and unboxing process.

As always the Soundcore/Anker does an impressive job at package appearance and the box for the Life Q35 isn’t any different. Plenty of information and pictures showing off the headphones. Once open the box you will find the headphone case inside with the headphones and accessories stored inside.

The case is nice. It’s a soft blue, almost a grey fabric that matches the headphones. When you open up the case you will find headphones stored in the box and have almost no room to move around and the accessories just hang out in the case. They really need a little zipper pocket but I will add the accessories to my gear/travel bag so I won’t lose them.

It comes with an audio adapter and AUX cable. Both of these products are better than cheap generic products found at the gas station. I really don’t have a use for them. But if I were gaming, the AUX cable may help with the sound lag. I haven’t the time for much gaming or even mobile gaming.  If I were computer gaming I’d use my Alienware Headset or my Soundcore Headset. For Mobile gaming the Q35 should be fine even with using Bluetooth.

The headset does not come with a charger. It does come with a nice USB-A to USB-C Anker cable. It’s just a cable and it’s long enough to charge your device and into a portable battery and lay it on a desk as you work. It’s not premium, but it’s a nice cable and could be used to charge your phone (won’t be very fast).

The Soundcore Life Q35 Headphones comes in a nice Cobalt blue. It does have some weight but it’s not enough to weigh you down. The weight is enough to tell me it’s made well. The headset is made from  a mixture of plastic and aluminum. The aluminum is used to reinforce the parts that are more likely to break. The earpads are soft leather like material. They are Cushioned and feel good on my head. I’ve warn them for about 3 hours at a time and they don’t heart my head. They are just tight enough to stay on my head and not slip off when I lean over.

Real Life Testing

For my tests I do real life testing. By that I mean I use my headsets in different situations throughout the day. Everything from casual listening at home, listening in a loud environment, while traveling, listening to music as I fall asleep, while operating a large tractor, operating lawn mowers, riding mowers, to working out at the gym. I will listen to rap, heavy metal, country, other types of music, and audio books/pod casts. But I’m no audiophile. I just know what I like and don’t like when it comes to sound quality.

Sound Quality

I’ve read a handful reviews on Amazon and few other places and a few reviewers have complained about sound quality everything from them saying they just “they suck, get this brand instead” to the bass is over powering and you can’t hear the other ranges clearly. Some of the negative reviews sound like paid reviews for competitors or others expecting sound quality equal to $200+ premium branded headphones in a $130 premium pair of headphones. Those complaints about to much bass or not enough of the other ranges can be controlled from the app.  For the price, the Soundcore Life Q35 comes with a lot of features. Some of these features aren’t available on the more expensive brands. In my opinion these claims are false. These are some of the best headphones I’ve owned in years.

I couldn’t find a genre of music I didn’t like listening to with these headphones. All the different sound profiles sound good and change the quality enough that even I can notice the difference.

You can control ANC settings via the Soundcore app. These features give you different options so you can let in as much outside noise to as little as possible. It all depends on what you need.

I also found that the earphones do a good job at blocking out noise without ANC and the quality of the sound sounds better in without ANC turned on.

ANC Profiles Via Soundcore App

You have 3 different modes to choose from.  Each one is designed for a different environment.

• Normal Mode is when you want to turn off noise cancellation and transparency.
• Transparency Mode helps you stay aware of your surroundings by allowing ambient noise in. It’s going to let some noise in and you should be able to hear someone come up behind you or hear car noises if you are walking around with them on. Keep in mind, if you have the music to loud, you won’t hear something/someone coming.
• Noise Cancellation Mode has 3 sub categories.
  • Transport – Targets low-end frequencies like engine and road noise. This feature is going to help with quieting your ride to work or a long road trip.
  • Indoor – Eliminate voices and mid-frequency noise. The kind of noise you might find in an office or a coffee shop.
  • Outdoor – Reduces ambient sounds that you might find in a busy downtown city area.

Sleep Profiles

Another cool feature is the sleep profiles. These profiles help you sleep by adding ambient sounds to help improve sleep. You control the sleep timer, intensity, mix and match the different sounds to help you fall asleep. The sound options include:

• Rain
• Birds chirping
• Wind
• Wind chimes
• Camp sounds – crickets and camp fire sounds
• Ocean waves
• Water drops
• Train passing by on the tracks
• Ticking Clock
• Farm animal sounds
• fan

Sound Profiles

If you don’t like the sound profile on the headphones, use the app to change it. You have two options. You can choose from premade sound profiles or create your own. For me, I will leave it to the sound engineers to create a good one. But keep in mind, Soundcore did use sound engineers to create the sound profiles for the Soundcore Life Q35 Headphones that pair nicely with the sound system inside the headphones.  Premade Sound profiles:

• Soundcore Signature – Default setting and my favorite
• Acoustic
• Bass Booster
• Bass Reducers
• Classical
• Podcast
• Dance
• Deep
• Electric
• Flat
• Hip-Hop
• Jazz
• Latin
• Lounge
• Piano
• Pop
• R&B
• Rock
• Small Speaker(s)
• Spoken Word
• Treble Booster
• Treble Reducer

Listening at Home on a Quiet Night

The first night I got them I started my environment testing. The house was quiet except for the TV on low. Even with the ANC off I was able to block out most of the sounds coming from the TV. When I turned the TV up I could hear it until I turned on ANC.

Listening  in the Car While Others Talk and the Radio is Playing

I ended up getting a ride with my family back to their place in Mississippi so I could pick up my new truck. That ride is about 7 hours and for half of that I was able to zone out and listen to music and my audiobooks.  To block out the noise I didn’t need ANC. If my head bumped against the car seat and moved the headphones off my ears a little, I could hear everything.

Listening at Night While I fall Asleep

I normally don’t listen to music as I go to bed. It’s more of a distraction and I start to nod off then I have to turn them off and put them on the bedside table. But during my trip, the family stayed up late watching TV and I needed to block out the noise. To do that I used the headphones without ANC and listened to music and audiobooks. They are comfortable and if I roll over on them they don’t come off or hurt my ears. With these I found it pretty easy to power down or use the auto stop to pause the music when I take them off. It really didn’t disturb me.

Using the Soundcore Life Q35 Life While on a Tractor Clearing Brush

When I’m at the farm I spend a few hours cutting and clearing overgrown pastures. Our tractor has a loud diesel motor and the brush cutter is loud. It’s even louder when you are clearing overgrown woody brush. I found with most of my other headsets including my Soundcore Space NC the tractor is still loud and I can barely hear the audio.

With the Q35s I could hear the tractor and the noises the brush cutter made but it cut the sound enough I was able to listen to the music. While working with the tractor it’s good to be able to hear some of the noises the equipment makes. You need to be able to tell if the cutter is cutting something it shouldn’t be or the engine is making weird noise it shouldn’t be.

Using the headphones While Cutting the Grass

With several acres of land comes hours of cutting grass. I have a riding mower and a push mower that I use almost weekly. The Soundcore Life Q35 Headphones is the best option to too hear music and block out some of the sounds the mowers makes (these are not a replacement for hear protection, if you need hearing protection purchase a set that can do music).  I found it can easily block out the noises and when I have to lean over to clean out the grass catcher or make adjustments to the equipment they stay on.

I cut the grass again today and turned on ANC for transportation. I turned it on and off to see the differences. I found that I don’t need the ANC but with it on it blocks out most of the sounds and makes it easier to hear music and audiobooks.

At the Gym

When it comes to working out, I like blocking the distractions that you find at the gym. This can be the typical gym guy/woman talking in large groups to the loud annoying music my gym blasts over the speaker system. To help with blocking the distractions, I use ANC Headphones for the distractions. The Life Q35 does an awesome job at blocking out the distractions with or without ANC plus they stay on my head and rarely slip off during an active workout. For the workout I use the full ANC profile for noisy environments but if I’m working out with a buddy I can change the profile to transparency or even turn off the off the feature completely.

Talking on the Phone

I’ve only used the headphones to talk with someone once. I was outside on the mower (I turned it off) and it was a windy day. Normally on these days I can’t talk to someone using the handset. But I was able to hold a conversation and the person on the other end had no issues and barely heard the wind.

Watching Movies on Netflix  via the Android App

Using the headphones to watch movies is a good thing. They sound good and it feels like I have a home theater system surrounding my ears. I did my test using the Netflix for Android. I also watched YouTube clips and music videos via the app without issue. So other streaming apps such as Hulu should work as well.

Using the AUX Cable

If you are wanting to do some marathon music listening or you forgot your charger while traveling you can use the AUX cable to extend battery life. You can go from 40 hours of playback to 60 yours of play back. But once you are connected via the AUX cable you lose access to the Soundcore app. But it does save your last known settings. You can still control the ANC features by pressing the ANC button the headset and cycle through the profiles if you keep pressing the button until you find the setting you want.  You can use the volume controls/directional controls, pause/play, and power buttons on the headset. You can also pause and play using the button on the AUX cable.

Auto Pause

The auto pause feature works but it doesn’t always work. It works with Spotify. It actually worked right out of the box and turning it on. I found that if you have a song loaded up and paused, it works. But if the music app isn’t loaded then it may not turn on.  I found it does not work with audiobook apps or Netflix. I did finally get it to work with YouTube. It works with the desktop when connected to a PC. It doesn’t work with the app.

Using the Controls on the Headphones

I like how Soundcore decided to stick with button controls instead of using touch controls that could be accidently bumped and change your settings. The buttons on the headset are easy to use and once I got use to button locations I could easily control my music and audiobooks.

Playtime and Charging

Soundcore finally decided to move into the world of USB-C for charging their devices and I’m happy to see the Soundcore Life Q35 comes with one. I haven’t had a chance to do a zero to full charge test but once I’ve got a few full charges completed I will update this section of the review if needed.

The headphones came half charged and after a few minutes of testing I charged them up and to a full charge It took about an hour to charge up. I’ve got 20  hours of usage out of them and from what I can tell, I’m on track to hit the 40 hour playtime claim if I keep it at 80% volume.

Soundcore Space NC VS Soundcore Life 2 VS Soundcore Life Q35

As I mentioned before, I have two previous pairs of headphones from Soundcore. I purchased the Space NC a few years back and about the same time I got them, Anker sent me a mystery gift box for being a major contributor to their communities. That gift box had the Soundcore Life 2 in it. I’ve reviewed the Space NC and they were my favorites at one time. I thought I wrote up a review for the Life 2 but I can’t find the review on the site and I can’t find a draft. So at some point I will have to write up a mini review for them.

All three headphones sound good and you won’t go wrong with either set. The Space NC sound good and the noise cancellation works for my needs. They are comfortable to wear for about 2 or 3 hours before my ears start to hurt. The battery life is good but you only get 20 hours if you keep the volume at 80% and NC off. If you use the AUX cable you extend playtime to 40 hours.  For the last few years these were my go-to headset for watching movies, travel, yard work, watching movies on mobile devices and computer work. I won’t be retiring these, I will continue to use them for yard work or times when there’s possibility they will be lost or broken.

The Soundcore Life 2 is my least favorite and my wife doesn’t even like them. For her the sound is good, but they won’t stay on heard and they feel too heavy for her. For me, they sound ok, the sound quality isn’t where it should be. From what I can tell from other users the new version is a better option. You might want to check out the Soundcore Life Q30 series.

Soundcore Life Q35 has the best sound and battery life when compared to the other two headsets.  Unlike the other two headsets, you can changed sound profiles via the app and if you need a different type of ANC you have multiple options.  As to battery life, you get 40 hours of playback and up to 60 hours when using the AUX Cable.

Final Thoughts

I can’t mention enough the Soundcore Life Q35 Headphone are my new favorite headphones and there times I have to find excuses to use the headphones. For the price, it will be hard to find another pair of headphones that has awesome quality and its full of features to enhance user experience. If you are looking for a premium pair of headphones that you can customize the sound profile and ANC profile, then you need to give these a try.